Hefty QB is a load — and a ringbearer

By John Bassetti

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The quarterback of the visiting Kentucky Horsemen for Saturday’s af2 game at the Covelli Centre was a member of the New York Giants’ XLII Super Bowl championship team.

Jared Lorenzen, who shares time with Justin Rascati, has completed 133 of 228 passes for 1601 yards with 39 touchdowns.

Justin, in seven games, is 57 of 78 for 644 yards and 11 TDs with one interception.

The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Lorenzen has thrown six interceptions.

On the ground, Lorenzen has a team-best 154 yards rushing.

Lorenzen was a standout at the University of Kentucky from 2000-2003. As a freshman, he set six NCAA records including all-time passing yards and completions and passing attempts in UK history.

He signed with the Giants and ended up making their roster before the 2005 season. In the 2006 preseason, Lorenzen led New York to victory by engineering a game-winning drive against the Baltimore Ravens. He was then named the team’s backup QB.

At the conclusion of the 2007 NFL season, Lorenzen, although not active for Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3, 2008, earned a world championship ring.

In that game, New York beat the New England Patriots, 17-14, to spoil the Pats’ attempt to become the second NFL team to finish unbeaten.

In its latest af2 game, the American Conference West Division Horsemen (4-4) beat the Florida Firecats, 83-48. The game at Rupp Arena snapped a two-game losing streak. The Firebirds won an earlier game in Estero, Fla.

Against Florida last Saturday, when Lorenzen completed 8-of-17 passes for 66 yards with four TD passes, Lonnell DeWalt hauled in five aerials for 65 yards with four TD receptions.

Rascati was 6-for-8 for 102 yards with two scoring strikes. Wide receiver John Cooper had five catches for a team-high 73 yards receiving,

To date, DeWalt has 67 catches for 760 yards and 24 TDs, while Harry Lewis owns 53 catches for 716 yards and 10 TDs.

Kentucky handed once-beaten Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (7-1) its only loss, 63-56, on April 11.

Through eight games (as of May 26), the Horsemen are af2’s top-scoring team with an average of 66.9 points per game, just a shade ahead of Wilkes-Barre’s 66.2 and Tulsa’s 63.5.

Kentucky’s point total is 535, Wilkes-Barre’s is 530 and Tulsa’s is 508.

Kentucky has registered 76 touchdowns to 74 for Wilkes-Barre and 73 for Tulsa.